One incredibly common question that realtors and real estate agents hear all the time is “Should I stage my house to sell it?” And the quick answer is YES!
Staging a home is an important part of the selling process. That is why there are entire businesses that focus just on staging homes to help them sell faster and for more money.
Now you must understand that staging your home is by all means not completely necessary to sell your home. And we aren’t saying that you need to go out and buy all new furniture in order to stage your home either.
Some people decide to have professionals come out and stage their homes. But you can stage your house yourself if you have the time and determination to make your home look open house ready.
So why exactly is staging your house important when trying to sell?
Why Is Staging Your House Important?
In order to understand how to stage your home, first, you need to understand why it is important. When a buyer is seriously looking for a new home they want to feel an emotional connection.
After a long day of work, you want to come home to a place that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. A place that feels like home.
When a home buyer walks into your house you don’t want them to just see some walls and flooring. You might think of it as a blank canvas in which they can do whatever they please. However, not everyone is so imaginative.
Walking into a completely empty house can feel sterile and cold. This is not the impression you want to be giving buyers.
On average, sellers that stage their homes to sell not only sell faster, but receive more offers, and sell their homes for more.
How to Stage Your House Yourself
Professional staging companies are very good at what they do and are a great option for anyone selling their home. And staging companies range in cost depending on what you need. What if this is not in your budget?
The good news is that if you have the time and want to put in the effort, you can stage your home yourself. But it is not going to be free. You will most likely need to spend some money if you want to stage your home right.
But here are some tips on how to stage your home to sell without breaking the bank.
Declutter and Pare Down
Paring down is essential when selling your home. However, it is a lot easier said than done. Especially if you are still living in the house while trying to sell it.
You can use a temporary storage unit that will come in very handy. Or you can see if any friends or family have any additional storage areas that you can temporarily use.
The most essential part of paring down is trying to get rid of anything that you don’t use regularly. Any personal knick-knacks and decorations.
So that leads us into depersonalization.
Depersonalize (Take the Home Out of the House)
Get rid of your personal knick-knacks and any decorative pieces that mean something to you. There are two reasons to do this.
The first reason to pack up personal items is that you don’t want buyers coming into your home and seeing pictures of you and your family. You also don’t want them to see specific decorative pieces that don’t seem to match the tone of the house.
Can you imagine walking into the living room and seeing a beautifully decorated home that is overlooked due to the large fake merlin placed on the wall or a bunch of fishing trophies?
The reason for this is because you want the buyers to picture themselves living in that house. You want them to love how beautiful the home is and see how perfect for them it can be.
If the buyers are walking around touring the home and they see all of your family photos hanging up and your kids’ artwork from the 3rd grade, it will be difficult for them to see it as their new home. It will feel like they are touring someone else’s home.
The second reason is that you don’t want anything to break or go missing during one of your showings. Putting away personal items is how you can best protect them.
This is a really important step when preparing and staging your home to sell.
Deep Clean and Clear Out Storage
Once you are done packing away all of your important personal and valuable items then you can get started on clearing out storage. It is fine to leave a few things around but removing a lot of the clutter will help buyers to see how much storage space there is.
A good rule of thumb is to clear out at least half of what you have stored in your closets, attics, and other storage areas. Then it is time to clean. Dusting, washing, wiping. All over your home, there will be lots of cleaning to do in order to prepare your home for the walkthrough.
You can either do it yourself with some help from our home selling checklist, or you can have a cleaning service come clean the home for you. Whichever you choose is fine, as long as the cleaning gets done. A dirty house will turn buyers off and make them second guess putting in an offer.
Decorate and Rejuvenate
The real cherry on top is going to be some simple decorating. And remember not to go too big. You also need to remember white is right. The color white looks clean and simple and really speaks to buyers.
A simple white bedspread will really make the bedroom look fresh. Not to mention white throw pillows. Having a few white throw pillows and a throw blanket draped on the corner of the couch makes buyers feel cozy and at home when they walk into the living room.
A cute little plant in a plain pot also helps to bring a little life and liveliness to any room. White shower curtains make the bathroom look clean and relaxing. Just remember, when in doubt, pick white and other neutral colors.
It Starts at the Curb
If you want to stage your home, curb appeal is a part of that. The front of the house is what everyone is going to see first. And we mean everyone.
Buyers aren’t just interested in a house because they think it looks beautiful. They want others to think their house looks beautiful. A beautiful home starts with the outside.
It is worth it to take an in-depth look at how to freshen up the front of your home and really boost that curb appeal for home buyers.
So make sure that the siding is nice and clean. Maybe hire someone to put on a fresh coat of paint. Power wash the driveway. And spend a few bucks putting down fresh mulch in your flower beds. These little things will make a huge difference.
